QUIZ ALERT

We will be having a quiz on Friday, Feb. 1st about Motors and Generators. This will be a quiz based on the four essential questions from the unit outline Part A. E-mail me with questions.

Weekly Update Jan. 28 - Feb. 1

This week we have been working with electric circuits. Our first topic is voltage, and we will work with circuit boards and multimeters. Voltage can be a tricky concept so here is a website (Electrical Energy and Electric Potential) that can help clear up some confusion students may be having.

Sorry this update is late, I typically post the weekly updates on the previous Friday. If you would like to get these updates automatically sent to your e-mail inbox go to FeedBlitz.com and type in "boettchersuniverse.blogspot.com" in the box at the bottom of the site.

Weekly Update Jan. 22nd - 25th

During this short week we will review the concepts of electrical motors and generators in anticipation of the RAFT project due on Friday. On Tuesday students should have a rough draft ready for me to review in class. Everyday this week students will have opportunities to work with motors and generators first hand so that they may observe the phenomena.

If the students need further resources to research how the motors and generators convert energy they can find them on-line or in their book. I would recommend searching Google using quotes around the search terms, "electric motor" and "electric generator". I've also found that taking off the quotes will work well. The site www.howstuffworks.com can also be a good resource.

E-mail me with any questions. I'll try to keep an eye on my in-box seeing as I will not be needing to do anymore Master's homework. Enjoy your long weekend.

Electric Motor

On Wednesday and Thursday this week we will be making model electric motors in class. This instructional video will be shown in class and the video can be found on teachertube.com.

Here is a video of the demo I made yesterday after school.

Weekly Update Jan. 14th - 18th

This week we will be learning about magnetic materials and magnetic fields. This will help us understand how the majority of power plants convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, and vice versa. To observe this we will make a miniature electric motor (see video) and generate our own electricity with an electric generator.

The RAFT project will be the first major assessment for this semester and will happen this week! Look at the unit outline for more information.

JN - click here to go to the website I mentioned. The "purpose" is to understand what motivated Marie Curie to devote her life to science and understand what she believes.

Electricity and Magnetism - Part A

Welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and the nice break. My family had many adventures during our trip to Michigan and back. The weather was nice to us as the roads were kept clear, and it also provided snow for snowshoeing. My son Sydney enjoyed the snow for the first time, and my wife, Michelle, and I enjoyed time with our friends and family. Sydney also saw his first hockey game (see picture above) as we watched his older cousin play in the annual holiday high school tournament.

This week the class will begin our study of electricity and magnetism. As described in Unit Outline Part A, this week and next will focus on the connections among electric charge, magnetism, and electricity.

Students will have homework most nights that will include working with their textbook. Our first vocabulary quiz will also happen this week. I'm excited to be back to school, and I hope we are all rested and ready to start a new semester. Don't forget to e-mail me with any questions or concerns.

NPR : Students' View of Intelligence Can Help Grades

NPR : Students' View of Intelligence Can Help Grades